A young boy wrestles with a deepening sense of remorse after the sudden disappearance of his friend. When those close to him begin to question his involvement, he is forced to make a life-altering choice. Themes of friendship, guilt, and redemption are examined against the backdrop of a scorching summer in the rural South.

When a psychiatrist discovers that a medication for the treatment of acne is causing teenagers to kill themselves, the pharmaceutical company sets out on a campaign to destroy the source of the threat to their billion-dollar-a-year drug.